Meeting Jesus in a Quiet Place

by Candyce Carden @CandyceCarden

The Power of a Single Word

A few years ago, rather than setting New Year’s Resolutions, I started taking part in the One Little Word Project. This is where a single word becomes one’s focus and lens for the new year. The word encourages an area of personal growth.

The past year ended on a low note for me. I was tired, burned out. Functioning but not flourishing, I found little joy in activities that usually bring me a great deal of pleasure. Overactivity was the culprit.

The word rest emerged as the obvious choice for my word in 2024.

Meeting Jesus in a Quiet Place

“Let’s go off my ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.”

Mark 6:31 NLT

In this verse, Jesus is speaking to His disciples. They were so busy serving the crowds that they hadn’t eaten. Jesus invited them to follow Him and replenish themselves with rest and food.

The Christian walk is hard. We know we have a calling to meet the needs of others, and sometimes we get so caught up in meeting those needs that we neglect our own. On top of this, we face job pressures, family conflicts, and money struggles. No wonder we become as depleted as a flat tire.

Two things stand out in Mark 6:31. First, the disciples withdrew to a quiet place and secondly, they withdrew with Jesus.

How many times do I “rest” by watching a favorite television show or playing an online word game? Although I find physical rest by disengaging from life for a while, these activities do nothing to refuel my spirit. They don’t provide me with the rest my soul craves.

Christ came into this world to provide rest for those who are tired and refuge for those who are afraid. In this biblical example above, He took care to nourish the disciples with food for their body but also provided them with the spiritual food of God’s word .

Sabbath Rest is not unplugging from life, but plugging in to Jesus. When we practice sabbath rest, we find the true rest our bodies and souls need.

We find examples in the Bible of Jesus taking time out for rest. When He retreats from the masses to seek solitude, he doesn’t scroll aimlessly through social media. He prays.

“Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.”

Mark 1:35 NLT

Here, and in other situations, we see Jesus withdrawing to a secluded place to pour out his heart in prayer, “hereby showing all his followers the great importance of cultivating communion with God in private.”

When we withdraw to a place of solitude and cast our burdens on Him, God will sustain us. When we turn to Him with our worries, we find true rest.

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

1 Peter 5:7 NLT

Don’t feel guilty about the need for rest. For when we seek rest, we are following the example of Jesus.

One Little Word Project

Do you participate? Is there a spiritual discipline you’d like to better apply to your life? Think about prayer or gratitude or forgiveness. Do you want to correct an internal voice that says you don’t do enough, aren’t as joyful as you should be, or need to be braver? Your theme word for the year could be an area of growth. You may be surprised by the number of people who struggle with the same thing and the abundance of information available to help.

Click here to learn more about the one word project and see other word suggestions. Ask God for guidance as you seek your word.

Meeting Jesus in a Quiet Place Share on X

Benson Commentary. https://biblehub.com/commentaries/mark/1-35.htm

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary. https://biblehub.com/commentaries/mark/6-31.htm